José Bautista signs cereal deal.

Toronto Blue Jays’ right fielder José Bautista has become the new face of General Mills cereal, with his image set to appear on boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams Crunch.

The Major League Baseball (MLB) star has signed the ‘limited time’ deal with General Mills Canada, which will donate US$10,000 each to the Bautista Family Education Fund, the Jays Care Foundation and the Breakfast Clubs of Canada charities as part of the agreement with the Dominican.

The partnership came about after the player posted images of himself with boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams Crunch cereals to social media last year, proclaiming his love for the products.

“We saw the photos José was posting and just knew we had to talk,” said Dale Storey, vice president of marketing, consumer insights and trade marketing at General Mills Canada. “We’re absolutely thrilled to have an athlete as excellent and as popular as José Bautista adorning our cereal boxes

“Not only is José Bautista loved by baseball fans all across Canada, he personally loves both Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams Crunch – so it’s a true grand slam of a partnership.”

For his own part, Bautista said: “It’s true – these are my favourite cereals, so I’m really excited to partner on this project. Besides the fact that I love many of General Mills’ products – especially a bowl of Golden Grahams or Cinnamon Toast Crunch after a game – I also feel connected to the company’s values and its belief in giving back to the community, especially to young people. I’m especially pleased that they’re supporting the Bautista Family Education Fund, the Jays Care Foundation, and Breakfast Clubs of Canada.”

In November 2015, 35-year-old Bautista had his contract with the Jays extended for a further year.

Welcome to BFEF

The Bautista Family Education Fund Mission: The BFEF is dedicated to assisting and supporting young amateur athletes in all facets of their transition to collegiate life in order to maximize opportunity both on and off the field.